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NOVEMBER 2-3, 2019
143rd Year, No. 272
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2019 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
HERMISTON
Immigrants
avoid services
due to rule
change
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
EO Media Group fi le photo
Facebook, Apple and Google save tens of millions of dollars each year thanks to property tax agreements for data centers in Prineville
(above) and The Dalles.
Big tech tax breaks create
small town conundrums
When big tech companies
hunt for tax breaks in
rural places, communities
often compete against one
another for the big prize
By MIKE ROGOWAY
The Oregonian
H
ERMISTON — As bus-
tling metropolises have grown
increasingly skeptical of big
tech companies demanding tax
breaks, Oregon’s rural communities keep
doling them out.
The Hermiston City Council and
Umatilla County commissioners voted
unanimously last month to grant Ama-
zon broad property tax breaks for mas-
sive data centers planned in Eastern
Oregon.
It’s the latest in a string of similar
agreements with Amazon that shave
nearly $50 million annually off the com-
pany’s Oregon tax bills. Facebook, Apple
and Google save tens of millions of dol-
lars more each year thanks to similar
AMAZON’S OREGON DATA CENTERS
Amazon received property tax breaks
worth $49.4 million for its Eastern Oregon
data centers in the 2017-18 fi scal year (this
past year’s totals haven’t been published
yet.)
Umatilla County and the city of Hermiston
have now approved additional tax breaks
worth hundreds of millions of dollars
more.
agreements for data centers in Prineville
and The Dalles.
Amazon didn’t respond for a request
for comment on its plans for Hermis-
ton. Its total savings in the new deal
will depend on how much the company
spends on its data centers, but the assis-
tant city manager in Hermiston oversee-
ing the new tax deal estimates it will run
in the “hundreds of millions” of dollars
over the next 15 years.
In exchange, Amazon need pay only
$40 million in compensatory payments
in that timespan and create just 10 jobs.
Oregon law gives small communities
the sole responsibility to grant such local
property tax breaks, even for mammoth
projects like this one. The state has no
authority to reject Amazon’s incentives,
no matter how large, so long as the com-
pany complies with the technical require-
Here’s a rundown of the data centers Ama-
zon operates or plans in Eastern Oregon.
• Port of Morrow, near Boardman: 3 cam-
puses with four or fi ve buildings apiece.
• Port of Umatilla: 1 campus
• City of Umatilla: 1 campus
• Umatilla County: 1 campus
• City of Hermiston: 1 campus planned
with up to four buildings.
ments of Oregon’s “enterprise zone” pro-
gram for tax exemptions.
That autonomy may not be a bless-
ing. Since Oregon sets no limits on
how big the tax breaks can be and exer-
cises no oversight over how communi-
ties negotiate them, these cash-strapped
small towns end up competing with one
another to offer the biggest tax savings to
the companies that arguably need it the
least.
Hermiston, population 18,200, is a
largely agricultural community that sits
south of the Columbia River. Offi cials
there and in Umatilla County say they
can’t afford to risk losing whatever Ama-
zon offers.
Amazon’s $40 million will be divided
up by councilors and commissioners in
See Big tech, Page A9
HERMISTON — A Trump
administration rule keeping recipi-
ents of public benefi ts from a green
card is causing some immigrants to
steer clear of needed services, accord-
ing to members of Hermiston’s His-
panic Advisory Committee.
In August, the administration
announced a “public charge” rule
allowing it to turn away legal immi-
grants applying for a green card (a
step to citizenship) based on factors,
such as a lack of English profi ciency,
or legally accessing benefi ts, such as
Medicaid or food stamps.
A judge temporarily blocked the
rule in October before it took effect.
But Jose Garcia, chair of the Hispanic
Advisory Committee, said he is see-
ing people in the immigrant commu-
nity refuse any sort of free services
out of fear it might count against them
in the path to citizenship.
“People don’t even want to know
about services — free health care, a
fl u shot. Everything free they are run-
ning from,” he said.
The public charge rule would only
count certain federal benefi ts against
green card applicants. Many services
in Hermiston, such as free screenings
at the recent Family Health Fair or
free car seat checks at Umatilla Mor-
row County Head Start, would not be
included. But Garcia said many peo-
ple’s attitude is that it’s better to be
safe than sorry.
Jonathan Lopez, another member
of the Hispanic Advisory Commit-
tee, said a big part of HAC — whose
meetings are always well-attended —
is educating the local Hispanic com-
munity on things in the community
that could help them. Now, he said,
they’re having to reassure people that
accessing services, such as Hermis-
ton’s free bus system, won’t put any
noncitizen’s chance at citizenship in
jeopardy.
“We tell them they don’t even ask
any information, you just wait at the
bus stop and they pick you up,” he
said.
See Rule change, Page A9
UMATILLA COUNTY
Ballot measure aims to clear up charter language
Polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Umatilla
County residents have the oppor-
tunity Tuesday to clear up the lan-
guage in the county charter regard-
ing the sheriff’s offi ce. Sheriff Terry
Rowan said it would be about time.
The charter specifi es the sher-
iff “shall have charge of the Depart-
ment of Law Enforcement.” But
Rowan said there’s a problem with
that.
“The sheriff’s offi ce isn’t a
department, it does not operates as
a department of the county,” he said.
So when the county in 2018
established a charter review com-
mittee, Rowan took the opportunity
to recommend changing “depart-
ment” to “sheriff’s offi ce” to make it
consistent with the name of the oper-
ation and the elected position.
He said he understands the origin
for using “department” may have
been in case the county commis-
sioners wanted to shift other func-
tions under the wide umbrella of
the sheriff’s offi ce. But, he said, the
county board can do that anyway.
He also recommended the char-
ter should refer to Oregon law when
it comes to the duties of the sheriff.
“There’s plenty of Oregon stat-
utes that speak to the offi ce of
See Charter, Page A9
EO fi le photo
A Umatilla County sheriff ’s deputy walks a handcuff ed suspect to a patrol
vehicle on Highway 11 north of Pendleton following a high-speed pursuit
Aug. 4, 2014. Umatilla County residents have the opportunity to vote on
the language of the county charter regarding the sheriff ’s offi ce.